Italy horse racing city what. Great races in Italy: the grand contest of districts in Siena

If Florence is the Sun of Tuscany, then Siena is its Moon. If Florence is Moscow, then Siena is Tver. Florence got worldwide fame, but it was in the rivalry with Siena that she was forged to become. Siena still retains its proud and unique character and many unique traditions, buildings and art.

The most famous annual event in Siena is the Palio. Palio is a race that takes place twice a year - in July and August. The scale of this event cannot be overestimated. The whole city is in turmoil. Incredible crowds of tourists gather from all over the world. All central streets are blocked. All of Italy, with bated breath, is watching the outcome of the race. The race itself takes only 90 seconds - the horses rush three circles along the rim of the extraordinary main Siena square - Il Campo. But preparing for the race takes at least a few days of rituals, rehearsals, fuss and anticipation. The Palio is the quintessence of Siena and even, in a sense, the quintessence of traditional Italy.

Many years ago, I already visited Siena, was smitten by it on the spot, and for me it has forever become one of the most favorite places in Italy. This time we ended up in Siena literally on the eve of the Palio. Getting to the Palio itself is an almost impossible task, Arab sheiks and American billionaires pay incredible money for the few seats in the houses around the square, and mere mortals take free seats in the center of the square 24 hours before the competition. But the Palio rehearsals - which take place on the days leading up to the Palio - can be attended with much less effort. What we did!

And it's worth starting from the panorama of Il Campo - the main square - on the day of the rehearsal!

Of course, we first walked along it in the afternoon. Piazza del Campo is one of the most glorious medieval squares in Europe. It is decorated with the main building of Siena - Palazzo Publico (town hall) with its tower, Torre del Mangia - whose silhouette, once seen, you will never forget.

Campo Square is also unusual in that it was built in the shape of a shell - its floor is sloping and, as it were, converges to one central point, this gate to the town hall. Now the slopes - the shell flaps - are not visible, because an earthen path has been laid around the square, along which the Palio horses will actually run!

The whole city is full of anticipation. There are posters everywhere that explain exactly which entrances and exits will be open on Il Campo at what time. There will be such a crowd that understanding the complex geography of the old city can be very useful!

The only vehicles that can enter Siena on this day are the vehicles that deliver the horses.

Siena is historically divided into 17 contrades - that is, historical administrative units-communities. Each contrada has its own borders, flag, colors and emblem. For example, there is the Eagle counter, the Dragon counter, the Snail counter and the Tower counter. It is between the contradas that the competition takes place during the Palio. Each contrada is also united by neighborly and kindred ties. Already on the day of the first rehearsal, the contradas begin their festive preparations for the races - which looks like blocked streets and a joint meal. In general, tourists are forbidden to walk along such a street, but I pretended to be incomprehensible and even took a couple of pictures. This is the feast of the Tower contrada.

Wandering around Siena, there is no doubt what kind of contrada you are in - flags are hung everywhere. This street is the boundary between the Tower and the Unicorn countertrades.

Such privacy as in the previous picture is almost impossible to find in Siena these days. This pandemonium looks more like this:

We stumbled upon the flag-bearers of the Turtle contrada, who were impressively rehearsing their dance -

Now throwing flags up, then intricately crossing them -

But finally evening and we took our place in the fenced center of the square.

Looking around the area:

I stop at Torre di Mangia:

Sky look:

The stands at the town hall are full of children of every contrada:

Which are fiercely photographed by photographers:

Worth it! Dragon Contrast.

Children of the contrada of the Tower - it just so happened that we lived in a hotel on the territory of this contrada and I also really like its color scheme, so I have it in almost every photo.

Spectators settled on any available balcony and ledge!

The audience is full of excitement:

We notice the horses and jockeys that go to the victory lap:

Contrad children rejoice when they meet their representatives:

In general, only 10 contradas out of 17 participate in each Palio. The system by which they are selected is as follows. In the Palio of August 2015, there are 7 contradas that did not participate in the Palio of the previous August, plus three more contradas, which are chosen by lot. The same system applies to the July Palio. Thus, in a given year, a given contrada can participate in both Palios, only one or even none of them - depending on its turn and luck.

The most successful contrada is Goose's contrada. For 400 years, she has won the Palio 65 times. Orel's contrada won the least - 24 times.

Riders in the colors of the Dragon and Snail contradas. For the Sienese, the Palio is a matter of life and death. The contrada that wins the Palio rises from happiness to heaven and arranges a huge celebration. Her traditional enemies - each contrada has its own - are grieving. But the saddest are the so-called "grandmothers" ("nonna") - this is the contrada that has not won the Palio for the longest time. To date, this title belongs to the she-wolf contrada - her last victory was in 1989!

And finally, the cannon fires and ten horses rush to the gallop around the square - the rehearsal has begun! I deliberately publish the video I made in full in order to convey the atmosphere of excitement and chaos that reigns in Piazza del Campo even during rehearsal - I imagine how crazy it is there during the Palio itself!

The rehearsal is over, the tourists are leaving for their hotels, and the Sienese are leaving for the contrada holidays, which will go on almost continuously until the Palio junction!

Then (it was a Thursday) we certainly didn't know who would win the real race on Sunday. The Palio on 17 August 2015 was won by Lesa's contrada. The future winner is visible in the video. This is a horse and a jockey in an orange and green suit.

Twice a year - on July 2 and August 16 - Italian Siena plunges into the excitement and feverish movement of a real medieval holiday - the famous Palio races. A heated confrontation between communities, global preparations and, finally, an impressive climax - all this is about this traditional event, which attracts more and more travelers every year. What is so attractive about horse racing in the main city square, Piazza del Campo? It is better to see with your own eyes once than to hear or read 100 times!

Tour duration: from 1 day to a week.

Tour dates in 2020: upon request.

Ticket prices for the event:

Palio Horse Racing - Siena, Italy

Description of the offer

Siena is a colorful European town that has preserved medieval traditions to this day. In the 13th century it was declared an independent republic, which in its influence and population was comparable to London or Paris of that era. In those ancient times, Siena was in tense relations with nearby Florence, and at the same time consisted of 17 counter-districts, which, in turn, competed in military skill and tried in every possible way to identify the leader.

It was then that the tradition of holding Palio - horse racing was born. Surprisingly, the race itself lasts only 90 seconds, and preparation for it takes several months and requires a lot of effort from the inhabitants of the city! The tradition has remained unbreakable for many centuries, and now, as in the distant XIII century, the event is held 2 times a year - on July 2 and August 16. Official celebrations start 4 days before these dates, so it's best to plan your visit with this in mind so that you don't miss out on anything interesting.

On the first day of the official celebration, a lottery is held in the main city square, with the help of which it becomes clear which horse for racing goes to each of the contrad areas. After that, the participating teams choose riders and take part in training races, which take place 2 times a day.

Palio Horse Racing - Siena, Italy

On the last evening before the Palio competition, each team organizes a delicious open-air dinner party on their territory and invites complete strangers to it. And in the morning, the contrade participants hold a solemn parade with flags, drummers and procession participants dressed in traditional medieval outfits. The parade passes through the streets through the whole city and ends with a colorful performance.

And, finally, on the main day of the holiday - July 2 or August 16 - the long-awaited race takes place! The team that wins it becomes the owner of a special pennant, painted by one of the famous artists. This evening, the winning contrada arranges a gala dinner and invites everyone to share the celebration with them. By the way, if you think that everything is limited to this, then you are very mistaken. There are cases in history when the winning team held lavish celebrations for several months.

By the way, you can look at the legendary horse races in Siena absolutely free of charge. Entrance to Piazza del Campo is free, but keep in mind that the event takes place during the hottest months in this region of Italy. And if you enter the event, then leaving the square before it ends will be very problematic. You will most likely be there for at least two hours. You can also take seats in the arena around the square or visit the locals living near the square (but for a fee). In addition, comfortable seats are available in the stands, providing excellent views of the various sections of the race.

You can combine holidays in Siena with a visit to the horse races with interesting excursions in the picturesque region, accompanied by a Russian-speaking guide.

Palio Horse Racing - Siena, Italy

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Since the middle of the 14th century in the Italian city of Siena, competitions between urban districts, the so-called. contradas, which are magnificently furnished horse races and are called the Siena Palio. Despite the fact that the races themselves last a little over a minute, this competition, which, by the way, is quite unsafe, attracts many tourists here not only from Italy, but from all over the world.

(Total 11 photos)

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1. The horse is led through the streets of Siena. 10 horsemen take part in the races, each of which represents 10 of the 17 "counters" - the medieval districts of Siena. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

2. Riders during training. For a whole year, contradas are preparing for the Palio: they sew luxurious medieval costumes, conduct rehearsals, processions, and trainings. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

3. A rider from the contrada Montone rushes past the audience. Competitions take place on the main square of the city - Del Campo. Piazza del Campo, or simply Campo, is the central square of Siena, which, for its uniqueness, has found its way into all textbooks on the history of architecture. Almost all the central streets of Siena converge on this most beautiful square, which, if you look at it from a height, has the shape of a shell. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

4. A horse representing Nichio County, accompanied by a groom. Every year Campo is filled with thousands of locals in medieval costumes, jugglers and magicians, bannermen and warriors. However, the main participants of the holiday are, of course, horses. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

5. The races themselves, during which riders drive bareback horses, include three laps in Piazza del Campo, 333 meters (thus, the total length of the distance is exactly 1 kilometer), on which a thick layer of sand is specially placed. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

6. They usually last no more than 90 seconds. Riders ride in medieval costumes, without saddles, while they are allowed to push each other and even throw rivals off their horses. Sometimes jockeys will fall off their horses during tight turns, after which the horses often finish the race alone, without a rider. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

7. In reality, the Palio is won by the horse representing the contrada (city district). In the case of such a victory, the rider does not receive prize money for winning the races. Pictured: Selva County jockey Alberto Riccieri fell while racing. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

8. Tartuka district Luigi Treciolino is in the lead. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

9. Medics help Alberto Riccieri after his fall. Palio races are not safe, the sharp corners at the base of the Sienese trapezoid are not all horses / riders can withstand. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

10. Winning Paleo is like winning the Olympics. The winner becomes a real hero, but to come second (namely second) means an indelible shame! The race ends with processions through the city that last all night. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

11. Luigi Treciolino celebrating his victory. The winner becomes the most famous citizen until the next race, and his name is forever inscribed in the history of Siena. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)